JWilhelm-LMF

//Learning Motivation and Fun//


What makes learning fun and engaging?

 * 1. Many students expressed that the affective attributes projected by the instructor were important for making the experience fun, including enthusiasm, warmth, and lack of intimidation.** The following three instructor characteristics stand out in the poll of the total 164 surveyed: instructor's enthusiasm (64%), warmth (48%) and lack of intimidation (70%). Al66 described his tango instructor as a “colorful and flamboyant character,” which contributed to the fun experience. Barbars131 talked about how her singing instructor put “a lot of fun and joy” into the experience. Wendy107 described her instructor who used music to help teach math: “The instructor was very energetic and outgoing and got everyone to participate. I think that is what made it really fun.”
 * 2. Peer interaction is a major contributing factor for many students in making a learning experience fun and memorable, and teamwork and building relationships enhances the fun experience.** About 47% of the stories (77 of 164) involved experiences where there was a high degree of interaction with other students. While one might have expected that the competitive factor would make experiences more fun, in a majority of the the high-interaction experiences (63.6%) **cooperation** was ranked as high, while in 51% of these experiences, competition was correspondingly ranked as low. Austin167 mentioned in a nautical captain workshop that one of the contributing factors to making his experience fun was the small group in his class where “we all joked around together,” and “we had fun with each other.” Daniel160 participated in a swing dance class where one aspect of the fun experience was that he had the opportunity for “physical and social contact with about 20 women,” and “everyone was friendly and we were always there to dance.” Jared22 describes a corporate team-building activity where he was able “to get to know a lot of people in a new environment very quickly” and that “some of these relationships that I made in that team four years ago are still very strong today.”
 * 3. A high degree of challenge can make an experience fun, even when there is difficulty or actual risk involved.** 36% of the experiences were ranked as moderately challenging and another 43% were ranked as highly challenging. Cliff75 talked about his fun experience in training for search and rescue operations on a cliffside and identified a key fun factor in his experience as being “challenging, it stressed me, [and there was a] little bit of risk.” John94 described the challenge of a bike trip to Yosemite as a teenager, which was “one of those things that seemed impossible and you’re able to make it possible with a lot of support from your friends.”
 * 4. The majority of experiences involved a high degree of sensory richness,** **colorful media or outdoor experience** **(84 of the total of 164 or 51% of experiences); and almost 60% of these experiences also involved a high degree of physical activity.** Erica200 described a fun seventh grade biology class where she had to overcome her initial horror in order to “physically find” bugs, “kill them and put a pin through them.” She had to “touch, catch, find and kill these bugs” while exploring in the outdoor environment of a canyon.
 * 5. A large number of the fun experiences were ranked low in human interest content (82 or 164 stories or 50%) but ranked high in content relating to things, processes or ideas**. This set of experiences typify hands-on instruction of various kinds. The instructional topics cover a wide territory and include procedural instruction and creative or artistic endeavors (learning how to ski, dance, create ceramics, weld, make beer, play the guitar, make a wood carving, drive a motorcycle, type, etc.). Rick166 describes the “tactile feel of carving” in making a "Greenman" out of wood. Raul194 describes how in learning to play the guitar, “it allowed me to be more creative. It showed me the beauty of music and I have enjoyed music ever since.”

**What are the implications for your own teaching and design work?**
From these observations several key variables relate to fun learning experiences:
 * Instructor attributes of warmth and enthusiasm for the subject.
 * Opportunities for peer interaction and team building.
 * A rich sensory experience that in many cases is also a physically active.
 * Challenge helps to engage learners, even if the experience is difficult or even risky.
 * Concrete, "hands-on" and creative experiences can make a deep impression.

There are several implications that are relevant for distance or virtual learning environments:
 * In distance education it may take additional energy and creativity for instructors to bond and create a sense of connection with students. How do you simulate this connection when you are working at a distance? Reaching out to students and engaging their attention with high energy is important.
 * Creating an environment that is relaxed, where humor is employed, and an environment free from teacher intimidation creates a more fun learning environment.
 * It’s important to introduce a variety of techniques that lend themselves to a rich sensory and/or physical experience.
 * Instruction should be challenging and not too easy, yet achievable (none of the stories that I listened to were about failed learning experiences).
 * How do you create concrete, hands-on learning experiences in a virtual format?
 * Opportunities for interactions with other students--possibly even some opportunities for friendly team building and cooperation are important. Maybe this is where games “come into play.”